Meant To Be
by StellaBelle24
Summary: When Nick meets a pretty girl in his bar, he has no idea that he has met the woman that will change his life forever. The last thing that he expects is for her to be related to his father's best friend. Featuring the characters that were introduced in my story "Someone Out There for Me". Rated T for now, but might change to M later in the story.
1. Chapter 1

_Here is my newest story, hope everyone likes it!_

 _Special thanks to my Beta: Dannylionthe1st!_

 _The only character that belongs to me are Lexi and her friends and family, any other characters belong to the creative mind of Kelley Armstrong. The characters Kate, and Jeremy's twin boys belong to LadyOfGlencairn from her story "Undone"_

 **Chapter 1**

" _Mommy, please don't go!" three year old Alexandra Carson screamed as her mom sat her in the closet and went to shut the door._

" _Kitten, it will be okay. I will be right back. Stay here, baby." Haley Carson said as the thunderstorm raged outside._

" _Mommy, I scared! Don't leave me," the little girl sobbed as she grabbed on to her mom's leg._

" _Lexi, sweetie, I promise, I will be right back." her mom said. She kissed her forehead and shut the door softly._

 _It felt like forever as the storm continued to rage. The little girl slowly opened the closet and walked out even though her mommy had told her to stay there. Every clap of thunder and lightning made her jump as she walked into the living room and saw her mom lying on the floor._

" _Mommy? Mommy!" she called as she ran over to her as fast as her little legs could carry her._

" _Mommy, please wake up!" she shouted._

 _Suddenly Lexi heard a noise behind her; she turned and looked towards the open widow where a pair of glowing eyes stared back at her. She cried out softly and tried to run but it felt as if her tiny feet were glued to the floor as the room went dark and she screamed._

"Lexi bolted upright in bed, heart pounding as her room tilted slightly from her panic. Damn nightmare, she thought as she clenched her fists and took in deep breaths, letting them out slowly to calm herself. The nightmares were always the same, intense, terrifying, vivid. As if she were reliving her mother's unsolved murder each and every time. She always felt the killer, his presence in her dream. As much as she longed to see his face to finally solved that mystery she always woke up. Sometimes, he managed to see eyes in the darkness. Letting out a sigh, she glanced at the clock, grumbling at the early hour.

"I might as well get up, no chance of getting back to sleep now," she said to herself and she made her way out of bed.

She walked into the kitchen of her small apartment and started a pot of coffee before walking over to the shelf that held her cookbooks, and pulling out an old file.

She sat down at the table, setting the folder in front of her. She was grateful that her Pops had made copies of some of the things that had been released to the public, along with the things she had been able to find on the internet. She'd spent countless hours poring through every piece of evidence to the point that she'd practically memorized everything. And yet, there were no answers. Someone had brutally murdered her mother, and he was never caught.

She sighed as she glanced at one of the pictures of her mom, one of the last ones that had been taken shortly before her death. She was smiling and Lexi had to fight back tears every time she looked at it. She was pulled from her thoughts as her phone rang. She picked it up and answered without looking at the caller ID, knowing that only one person would be calling this early.

"Hi, Pops. Couldn't sleep either?" she said in way of a greeting.

"Hey, Lex. Nope, your mom snores like a freight train" Noah Kennedy replied making his youngest daughter roll her eyes.

"No, she doesn't, that's you," Lexi retorted.

"Ah, I guess you're right on that one, Lex. Are you looking at those files again?" he asked knowing that it was something that she often did when she couldn't sleep. Over the years, he had learned that it was a force of habit with her and even though it concerned him, he knew better than to say anything, his youngest daughter had the tendency to shut down if she was being pushed too far.

"Yeah, and no. I haven't found anything new, but then again, that never changes." She sighed before closing the file.

"We will catch whoever killed her. I promise, Lex, I haven't given up. You're still the best eyes and ears I got on this one. So, I still need ya on the case," he said in a tone that made Lexi believe him, despite the disappointment that had seeped into his voice. They had had this conversation many times before. He believed that she had caught a glimpse of the killer, but it was locked inside her head and had been ever since that night.

Over the years, the death of Lexi's mom had become the one case that Lieutenant Noah Kennedy had never quite been able to figure out, all he knew was that a young woman had been killed, no, butchered was a better word. Haley had worked for the police department as a lab tech, he had known both she and Lexi pretty well. After Haley died, the little girl had had no one and eventually Noah had brought her home as a member of his own family. The department could have fired him for that, but it had been one of their own who had been murdered and the NYPD took that seriously.

"I know, Pops. I should probably go and get ready for work," she sighed finally.

"Okay, Lex, do you have any plans for tonight?" he asked hoping that she was going to be doing more than sitting around her apartment or working.

"Yeah, um Amanda wants us to check out that club that she renovated. Says the owner is a nice guy, but I think she just wants to try and play match maker." Lex sighed.

Noah laughed. "Sounds like Amanda," he stated. "Well, sweetheart, what's the harm in giving him a shot? Who knows, maybe he's someone truly worthwhile."

Lexi snorted. "You clearly don't remember Amanda. But, okay, Pops. I will. Love you."

"Do you realize what time it is? Noah, I sent you down here because you were waking me up with your snoring. And now you're keeping me awake with your loud talking. I swear." Angela's familiar authoritative voice sounded distant through the phone.

"Love you too, Lex," Noah said emphasizing her name as some sort of jab to his wife.

"Amanda is playing matchmaker again Angie, Lexi is meeting the guy tonight" Lexi heard her father explain.

"Well that is fascinating, and it will be in a few hours after we get some sleep. Have a good day at work baby girl. I'm putting your father back to bed now. Call me tomorrow and let me know how the fix up went," Angela piped up.

"Ha there will be no fix up, but I will call you anyways, momma. Love you." Lexi smiled as she ended the call before padding off to the shower.

Lexi stepped into her tub, feeling the scalding water hit her skin. Her parents were probably delighted she was going out for once to have fun. They did their best to hint at her need to socialize more and not spend her weekends at home or with them. It was obvious to her that they clearly wanted her to start dating again, and it wasn't that she was opposed to the idea. She'd dated several men, but none compared to her high school sweetheart, Justin.

She sighed, shaking her head to clear her memory of him. It wasn't that they had a bad break-up. If anything, it was clean. Both of them had apparently been on the same page. They loved one another, but were not in love with one another anymore. It was difficult, letting go of what was familiar. But it was for the best. And the two had luckily been able to remain friends. She just hadn't found that one person. And she was tired of looking for him. She had to admit, if only to herself, she was slightly jealous of her parents' relationship. They made love seem so easy, and she knew that Pops still managed to drive her Mama crazy after close to thirty five years of marriage.

Turning off the shower, Lexi stepped out. She groaned as she walked into her bedroom and noticed that the lock was broken on her bedroom window… again.

" _Hmmn, must have happened earlier in the week"_ she thought as she dialed the number for the manager of her apartment.

She rolled her eyes as the call went to voicemail, but was not surprised since it was so early in the morning. She left a message, hoping that he would get back to her soon and she wouldn't have to ask Pops or one of her brothers- in- law to fix it. This was not the first time that the latch had broken and the manager always claimed that it was fixed, until the next time it broke.

" _Maybe Austin and Annie will let me stay with them tonight_ " she thought with a sigh. Austin and his girlfriend Annie were two of Lexi's closest friends.

It always made her uneasy to stay in her apartment with the window not being able to lock. She lived on the top floor and even though she wanted to move out of the building, she had not been able to find a place that she could afford and was close to the hospital. She glanced up at the clock silently cussing at the time before quickly getting dressed, and throwing her hair into a messy ponytail on her way out the door. She'd promised herself she was going to have fun and meet this man. She was pretty sure that very little would come out of the meeting. She knew Amanda's taste in men.

* * *

The sounds and sirens of County General Hospital always managed to make Lexi feel as if she was out of place. While she loved the idea of helping people, it did not thrill her to be working emergency room medicine.

Lexi's dream job would be working with kids, but at the time that she was hired, there weren't any openings in pediatrics, so she was stuck working the emergency room. After she looked in on a couple of patients that had come in with broken bones, she went back to the nurse's station, and stopped when one of the doctors asked if she could keep an eye on a little girl that looked to be about three or four years old sitting in a chair all by herself, she was clutching a teddy bear. He explained that they had brought in the girl and her mom, and the dad was on his way to the hospital.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked as she walked over to the little girl.

"My mommy got hurt. We were in the car and someone hit us," the little girl said softly.

"I see, well did the doctor check you out too?" Lexi asked silently looking her over for any visible injuries.

"Uh huh, he said that I could wait here until my daddy comes." The little girl smiled.

"Okay, well how about I get you some crayons and some paper so you can draw your mommy a picture? Sound okay?" Lexi asked.

"Okay," the little girl smiled.

"What's your name, honey?" Lexi asked when she returned with crayons and a pad of paper.

"Haley and this is Beary," the little girl smiled and pointed at her bear.

"Well that is a really pretty name, I'm Lexi," she replied as she walked over and sat down.

A few hours later, Lexi left the hospital and smiled when she remembered that Haley's dad had come to pick her up and that he was taking her to her grandparents' home so that he could come back and spend the night at the hospital with his fiancée. Her mom was going to be okay and would probably be released the next day since her injuries were not severe, but the doctor wanted to make sure that everything was okay before he let her leave the hospital.

Lexi returned to her apartment to get ready to go out with her friends. When she was leaving she noticed that some local vice cops were there to investigate a break-in at the apartment directly below her, but quickly pushed it out of her mind as she walked out into the night air and hailed a cab.

* * *

Nick Sorrentino sat at the desk in his office and fighting off yet another migraine. Ever since he had gotten the idea to open another cocktail lounge in Manhattan, it had been giving him nothing but problems. Luckily for him, the one in Syracuse had been doing fairly well and continued to turn profits.

He groaned as his phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he felt a little better when the face of his best friend, Clayton Danvers, appeared on the screen.

"Hey buddy. What's going on?" Nick said as he answered the phone.

"Not much man. I'm just finishing up work on a new research paper, and Elena is meeting with someone for her latest show. She wanted me to call and see how you are doing. She said that the new club is giving you issues" Clay chuckled.

"Yeah man, this one has been nothing but trouble, plumbing, electrical, everything has been slow, and to make matters worse, the building inspector has been breathing down my neck, wants the place up to code in three weeks" Nick ranted.

"Is the inspector male or female?" Clay asked curiously.

"Unfortunately he's a dude, and believe me, I've tried to change his mind. Dude's pretty straight laced," Nick rolled his eyes.

"What about that woman who helped you with your renovations a couple years ago. What was her name? Oh wait, you burned that bridge didn't you?" Clay asked knowing his best friend's reputation with women.

"Who Amanda? Maybe I should. She asked if I could put her and a few friends on the guest list for tonight at the club in Syracuse. She wants me to meet a friend of hers," Nick said considering Clay's suggestion.

"Wait a minute! A chick that you slept with wants to fix you up? Don't you think that that is a little odd?" Clay asked about the recent development.

Nick hesitated. Now that Clay mentioned it, he did find it a tad odd. But maybe he was reading too much into the situation.

"I'm not sure," Nick said, shrugging his shoulders even though Clay couldn't see him.

"I did talk to Amanda. Actually, she was the one that wanted to make sure I understood it was just a fling. She didn't see why we couldn't still work together. And well, let's just say it was a relief for me. You know, dealing with my dad's death. I wasn't in dating frame of mind."

"Alright," Clay said, although clearly still skeptical of the situation. "Hey, babe," he shouted, clearly addressing Elena who must have walked in. "I'm on the phone with Nick. Here, Nick, I'm passing the phone to Elena."

"Hey Nick, I hear you are letting someone set you up?" Elena asked clearly surprised since Nick was the kind of guy that didn't go for set ups.

"Yeah, Amanda wants me to meet one of her friends. I said that I would stop by her table and say hi when I get to the bar tonight. Nothing more, nothing less" Nick explained knowing that his best friend's wife was not going to let it go.

"Ah okay, so you are just going to meet her, and something might happen or it might not, is that what you're telling me?" she replied still skeptical like her husband.

"Exactly, now I have to go. I need to get ready to head out to Syracuse. I'll talk to the both of you later. El, keep Dr. Danvers in line will ya." Nick chuckled.

"I will. Talk to you soon, Nick. Have fun tonight," she replied before disconnecting the call.

* * *

Nick walked into the crowded nightclub with a smile plastered on his face. He looked around the room and smiled when he saw Amanda at one of the back tables. She was sitting next to a pretty blonde; both were deep in conversation with the two women that were sitting across from them.

He moved around the room so that he could get a better look at them. While both the blonde and the brunette sitting across from her were strikingly attractive, it was the girl across from Amanda that immediately caught his eye. She had dark hair, with pale skin, and big eyes that seemed to stare right through you. She was laughing at something Amanda was saying and sipping her drink.

Nick moved closer so that he could hear their conversation.

"Okay, Amanda, where is this guy that you want me to meet?" she asked with a smile.

"Seriously, Lex, what makes you think that I am trying to set you up?" Amanda asked in return trying to sound innocent.

"Because I know you, and even my parents smelled a set-up, so what is so great about this guy that I just have to meet him?" The brunette wondered.

"Nick is a really nice guy. He is cute, has a nice body, a great sense of humor, and he is great in bed," Amanda smirked.

"Ah, trust you to use the fact that you have slept with the guy as a selling point. No wonder you wanted me to meet him, you know that I don't do casual sex, and you are hoping that he will change my mind?" the woman smiled as her eyes went wide.

Nick had to fight hard to suppress a smile at that comment. If Amanda was trying to win the girl over, talking about his abilities in the bedroom would be the way to do it. He knew that he could change her mind if he was able to get her into bed. He actually had to stop himself from imagining how she would look in his bed, naked, willing, and all his.

"Face it, Lexi, you need to have some fun and this guy could be just the way to do it. Please at least give the guy a chance" Amanda urged as a waitress came over with another round of drinks.

Nick watched as the girl tried to juggle the empty glasses along with the full ones on the tray. The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion as the girl's arm knocked a full glass of red wine off of the tray and all over the table and Lexi's dress.

"Shit! I am so sorry! It's my first week on the job," the waitress explained looking like she was about to cry.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," Lexi said as Amanda handed her some napkins so she could try and clean herself up a little bit.

Nick decided that he should at least try to help the situation. He walked over to the table, and the waitress noticed him first since the beautiful brunette had her back to him.

"Mr. Sorrentino, I am so sorry," the girl started.

"Katie, don't worry about it, just be more careful next time," he said as he gave the girl a smile before shooing her away with his hand. The girl watched for a minute before slowly walking back to the kitchen.

"You know it would be a shame if that dress was ruined," he said as he took in Lexi's tiny body. She stood at least a good foot shorter than him and even from behind he could tell that she had a great figure.

At the sound of his voice, Amanda smirked. She was correct in her own thinking. The two would make a handsome couple. Lexi's bug-eyed, deer-in-headlights look gave Amanda even more to be happy about. There was little doubt in her mind that Lexi found Nick attractive. She knew at that moment that she had been right to play matchmaker all along.


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry for my lack of updates on this. 2017 was a rough year for me and my family. I hope everyone likes this chapter._

 **Chapter 2**

"You know it would be a shame if that dress was ruined," a voice said behind Lexi.

The voice sounded smooth, like silk, and she had to admit that it was doing something crazy to her insides. Lexi felt a shiver run down her spine and she knew that Amanda could see the look on her face. She glanced up and saw that her friend was looking at her with a satisfied smirk and was daring her to turn around and see the face that matched the voice.

She slowly turned and came face to face with what had to be one of the best looking men that she had ever seen. He had dark hair and eyes. Stood at least a good foot taller than her 5'4" frame, and looked like he was lean and had just enough muscle to suit Lexi's liking.

"Yea it would, especially since Lex just bought this dress last week." Annie piped up when she noticed that her friend was searching for something to say.

"Well then I insist that you let me take care of the dry cleaning bill and all of the drinks tonight are on the house" he said.

"That's not necessary…" Lexi started as she wondered how he could possibly do that.

"Lex, this is Nick, he owns the club. Nick, this is one of my best friends, Lexi Kennedy," Amanda said, taking control of the conversation.

"Well when Amanda said that she wanted me to meet a friend of hers, she failed to mention that this friend was very beautiful" Nick said as he looked down at Lexi. The smile on his face made her insides turn completely to jello.

"Thanks, she failed to mention a few things to me too" Lexi smiled as she raised her eyebrows.

Charlie cleared her throat and glanced at Annie with a smile. Nick and Lexi both looked up.

"Since we have been clearly forgotten about, I'm Charlie and this is Annie" she said as she pointed between herself and the blonde standing next to her.

"Nick, why don't you sit and have a drink with us, we're straining our necks looking up at you," Amanda suggested with a satisfied smirk.

"That uh sounds good, that is if the rest of you ladies don't mind?" Nick wondered aloud as he kept his gaze firmly locked on Lexi.

"Nope, we don't mind at all" Charlie said as her phone rang. She looked down and groaned. "I need to take this, it's about the gig I set up for the band next week" she said as she reached for her jacket.

"I should probably leave anyway, it's going to be crazy trying to get a cab at this hour" Annie replied.

"Annie! I am staying with you and Austin tonight since the latch on the bedroom window in my apartment is busted and the landlord can't get to it until tomorrow afternoon, since the apartment next to mine was broken into this afternoon. Besides it is only 8:30" Lexi reminded her friend.

"Then I'm going outside. I gotta call Austin and remind him there are leftovers. You know if I don't he won't eat tonight until after he gets off work tonight," Annie said, as she pulled out her phone and got up to follow Charlie.

Lexi grounded her teeth to keep from shouting out at her friend. It was a good excuse, however weak. If she was really that worried she wouldn't have left him alone. Not that her worry didn't have merits. Austin was known to skip a meal or two in pursuit of a new case. But then again, both Lexi and Annie had been raised around cops, and Austin was no exception to the rules of cases coming first. She glanced over at Amanda and knew that her friend was going to be making her own excuse to leave the table soon enough. Her friends were nothing if not subtle.

'You kids have fun. I think I've spotted my own target for the night." Taking one quick sip of her margarita Amanda scooted out of the booth aiming toward a group of young men who had just entered.

Soon it was just the two of them in the booth and Lexi began to feel like there was not enough air in the room.

"I'm sorry about that, I know this was a blatant fix up" she said as she sipped her newly refilled glass of wine.

"Yeah, about that, I have a confession to make. I kinda figured that out when Amanda said she wanted me to meet a friend of hers and just casually arranged for you guys to be here tonight" Nick replied as he looked at her.

"Well, even my parents smelled a set up this morning, so it was not a surprise. What I want to know was how she got Charlie and Annie to go along with it. They don't normally agree with Amanda's plans," Lexi explained.

"I have to admit, I am glad that she set this whole thing up" Nick said with a smile.

"You are?" Lexi asked, feeling somewhat skeptical. Was he actually flirting with her? Or was he just being polite. She searched his face, trying to read him. To her surprise, he seemed sincere.

"Maybe we should have better introductions. Hi, I'm Nick," he said, flashing her his best smile and reaching out his hand to her.

She wasn't sure why, but that broke the atmosphere around then. She hadn't even realized how tense and on guard she was. "Lexi," she said grabbing his hand and shaking firmly. "So, Nick, what brings you to this newly opened nightclub?"

"Believe it or not, Lexi," he said just as casually as she asked the question. "I own the place."

Lexi gasped, placing her hand against her heart, feigning surprise. "What? No way."

Nick laughed and she joined him.

Their conversation remained light and simple, talking about his club and her likes and dislikes. She was surprised to realize that he had a lot of pride in his club. It made her admire him more, knowing that this wasn't just some business he was trying out.

"Lexi!" Annie said, shrugging Amanda who clearly was trying to stop her. "It's getting kinda late. Wanted to know if you wanted a ride back to my place?"

Lexi looked up and was about to answer when one of the security guards came over and grabbed Nick's attention.

"Sorry, duty calls, but I meant what I said about taking care of the dry cleaning earlier. Max, can you see that these ladies get to their car" he said as he looked at one of the other bouncers that had joined them before returning his gaze to Lexi.

"Sure thing boss, ladies, if you will follow me" the man said as he motioned them towards the door.

* * *

The following morning Lexi woke up to the smell of coffee. She eased out of the bed in Annie and Austin's guest room and stretched before making her way into the tiny living room and kitchen. She smirked as she saw a cardboard box with the name of her favorite doughnut place on it. Austin was sitting at the small breakfast bar reading the paper.

"Are those what I think they are?" Lexi asked with a sly smile.

"Yep, those are from Auntie Bees, I stopped over there before I headed home this morning" he replied with a wolf-like smile of his own.

"Have you slept at all?" she asked as she opened the box and pulled out a vanilla flavored doughnut for him and a maple bacon one for herself. She sat them both on paper towels and took a moment to take in her friend's appearance, if the dark circles under his eyes and the messed up hair was any indication, Lexi would guess that he had not been getting a whole lot of sleep lately.

Austin had just been made a detective at the same precinct as her father so she guessed that sleep was few and far between with the recent promotion.

"I grabbed about an hour in the cooler at work and then got a few hours when I got home this morning. How did the blind date go?" Austin said as he devoured the doughnut in two bites.

Lexi sighed and took a bite of her own doughnut and closed her eyes with a smile on her face.

"I know that face; that is a smile that normally means that only a maple bacon doughnut makes you happy, so what happened?" Austin asked as Annie walked into the kitchen.

"She hit it off with Nick last night. He seemed like a really nice guy, and I think she wants to see him again. Oohh Auntie Bees" the blonde said as she kissed her boyfriend good morning.

"Annie!" Lexi exclaimed knowing that her friend meant well, but also wished that her best friend would have kept her feelings to herself.

Annie shook her head and walked over to the counter to grab coffee and a huge chocolate crawler.

"What? It was obvious that you liked him. All of us could see it" the blonde said with an innocent look on her face.

"Okay, maybe you have a point, but we all know that set ups never work… present company excluded" Lexi replied, she had been the one who had introduced Austin and Annie to each other after realizing that Austin made a great friend, but not a great boyfriend.

"Well, did you get any weird vibes from him or anything like that?" Austin asked, the cop in him coming out in full force.

"No, nothing like that, actually he seemed really nice, genuine. We talked like we had known each other forever and he made me laugh. It felt good, I felt as if we had more in common after talking to him than I ever did with Justin, even after only a few minutes" Lexi answered.

"Well Lex, would seeing him again be such a bad thing? I mean, you haven't been out with anyone in while, not since that guy who worked for the M.E's office. So maybe give him a shot, and see how it goes" Annie suggested with a smile.

"Okay, I will consider seeing him again, he really did seem like a nice guy, but do not tell Amanda. You know how she loves to gloat" Lexi said as her phone went off.

Lexi looked down and smiled when she saw that the text was from her brother in law, Matt, but her smile faded when she read the message.

" _Hey Lex, your mom wants all of us to meet for brunch tomorrow, I apologize in advance, it was not my idea"_ it said.

"What's up?" Annie asked.

"Momma wants all of us to have Brunch tomorrow, my guess is that she and Lisa are up to something, which would explain why Matt is saying that it is not his fault" Lexi said.

"Maybe she wants to start planning the fundraiser for the WOF, you know she loves throwing a party" Annie said raising her eyebrows.

"Probably, that party is the Widow's and Orphan's Fund's biggest fundraiser of the year, but I know my sister. She wants me to find a man and she is not above getting Momma to help her do just that" Lexi replied.

"Well, don't worry about it for now, sit down and have another doughnut. Then we need to go and do some serious shoe shopping" Annie giggled as she set another doughnut on a plate and pushed it in front of her best friend with a sly smile.

* * *

Nick groaned as he tried to focus on the research that he was doing but his mind kept wandering to the events of the night before. He couldn't get Lexi out of his mind. He knew that he was supposed to be doing research for Jeremy, his father's best friend, and his Alpha. Jeremy had asked him to look into some mutt attacks that had happened near Long Island, but so far he'd come up empty. Best he could tell, the attacks only happened once a month.

Finally, Nick shut the laptop and let his mind wonder back to Lexi, he knew that he should have gotten her number or something before she had left with her friends, but he hadn't been thinking clearly at the time. The least he could have done was get the name of the place where she sent her dry cleaning. Instantly an image came to his mind of her in his office taking off her dress and wearing one of his shirts. He almost chuckled at the thought of how the shirt would have looked on her tiny frame. He thought of how it would feel to touch her. Would her skin feel as soft as he imagined it? Nick had been with his share of women, short, tall, tiny, he was equal opportunity, but something about Lexi was different…special… he just couldn't figure out what it was.

"Nick? Nick are you here?" a voice asked as he heard the sound of high heels clicking across the floor.

Nick looked up and saw Amanda starring at him, eyebrows raised.

"Hey, Amanda, what are you doing here on a Saturday?" he asked knowing that she didn't normally just pop in without a reason.

"I just came to see if you had the list of improvements that need to be made on the Manhattan club, I want to take a look at it before I see Lexi this afternoon, her brother –in- law is a contractor and he might be able to help with the job before the next set of inspections" she answered crossing her arms.

"Was that why you wanted the two of us to meet so badly, so that she could convince her brother- in- law to help us out?" Nick asked curiously.

"No. I wanted the two of you to meet because she is one of my best friends and she has the right to find a nice guy, you are a good guy, and I think you would be good for her or maybe that she will be good for you" Amanda replied.

"Ah, okay, so since you think that we would be so good for each other, wanna tell me where she sends her dry cleaning so that I can make good on my offer from last night?" Nick smirked.

"You know you could just call her and ask her. I have her number right here," Amanda answered with a grin.

"Come on, Amanda, I am doing something nice for her, besides, I have a plan of my own, so where does she send her dry cleaning?" he asked again.

"She sends it to the Wilson's over on E. Street, now if you excuse me, I have to meet the woman in question for lunch and shoe shopping" she replied as she walked away, her high heels clicking as she went.

Nick shook his head with a grin and opened his laptop again. He did a search for the dry cleaners that Amanda had said and found the number easily. He called and asked if someone had brought in a green and black dress for cleaning. Once he had the answer he wanted, he gave the person his credit card number and asked the cleaning be charged to his account along with a note to be delivered when Lexi went to pick up the dry cleaning. Now all he had to do was wait for her to come to him.


	3. Chapter 3

_Here is the next chapter, hope everyone enjoys it!_

 **Chapter 3**

Lexi let out a string of curse words as she raced around her apartment trying to get ready for brunch with her family. She was supposed to be meeting them at ten that morning and it was already a quarter till.

"Momma is going to kill me if I'm late," Lexi groaned as she put the finishing touches on her makeup and stepped into her shoes.

As if on cue her cell phone rang, she looked down and saw that it was her sister Jessie calling her to make sure that she was on the way.

"I know, I know, I'm late, I'm on the way out the door now," she answered by way of a greeting.

"Hello to you too little sis. I just wanted to make sure that you were coming. Everyone else is waiting for you. I will order a Mimosa for you so it will be waiting for you when you get here," Jessie replied.

"Great. Whatever Momma and Lisa need to ask me must be really good if it requires alcohol," Lexi replied with a sigh as she hailed a cab and gave the driver the address for the Inn where she was meeting her family.

"I really couldn't say, they did not clue me in on whatever this brilliant plan is of theirs, just hurry up and get here," Jessie said before she disconnected the call.

Lexi looked down at her phone and shook her head. A short time later she stepped out of the cab in front of the Inn and paid the driver.

"Sorry I'm late. I overslept this morning," she said as she greeted her parents, stopping to kiss both her mom and Pops on the cheek.

"It's okay, Lex. We just ordered. Did the super ever fix your window?" Pops asked as she sat down next to him.

"Yeah, he came by latch is fixed for now" Lexi answered as Jessie handed her her drink.

"You need to move out of that place. It's so unsafe. I worry about you being there by yourself," Angela said as she looked pointedly at her daughter.

"I know, Momma, but I can't find one that is close to the hospital and affordable too." Lexi sighed before ordering one of her favorite breakfasts.

She listened as her family talked about their week, jobs, and what the kids were doing. She laughed along with her nieces and tried to join in the conversations, but her mind kept going back to thoughts of the night that she met Nick and how much she had enjoyed meeting him.

' _I probably won't see him again since he didn't ask for my number, not surprising since that is the way my luck usually runs.'_ Lexi thought to herself.

"So what is this brilliant idea that you and Lisa have, Momma? No one has told me anything about it," Lexi wondered as her food arrived.

"Okay, well you have to promise to hear us out and not say no right away," Lisa replied.

"Okay, out with it," Lexi insisted.

"Well you know that Momma and I have been looking at ways to raise more money at the fundraiser for the WOF this year and we think we have done it. Most of the donors are tired of the usual silent auction, so I was thinking about changing things up, and doing a date auction. We want thirteen lovely ladies who will be auctioned off for dates with the male guests and we already have twelve ladies who have agreed to do it," Lisa explained.

"You just need number thirteen and the youngest, unmarried daughter of a police captain and the head of the Widows and Orphans Fund would fit the bill perfectly," Lexi replied with a glare.

"Oh come on, Lex, you would probably fetch the highest price of anyone there and you know it. You are not seeing anyone seriously and it is all for charity," Lisa reasoned.

"Just because I am single doesn't mean that I am not interested in someone, Lisa. I mean, I met a guy that Amanda set me up with," Lexi argued.

"Oh please, we both know that Amanda's fixups never work. The guy usually ends up being a jerk," Lisa replied.

"I think you might be wrong this time, Lisa. Nick was a really nice guy and he even offered to take care of the dry cleaning after the waitress spilled the drink on me. He didn't even hint at wanting any kind of payment for that if you know what I mean. Why don't you ask Amanda or Charlie to do it? They are both single," Lexi said.

"We asked them last night, and both of them said that they would do it if you would. Come on Lex!" Lisa exclaimed.

"Fine, I will do the auction, since it is for charity, but nothing is going to come out of it. Also, if I decide that I want to see Nick, you have to promise that you will not interfere. If you so much as try to stick your nose where it does not belong, I will back out. Deal?" Lexi conceded finally.

"Deal. I promise you won't be disappointed," Lisa said with a confident smile.

Lexi rolled her eyes, she highly doubted that her big sister would keep her promise to mind her own business, but she had to admit it would be fun to see her try.

* * *

Detective Austin Morrison looked up from the case file that he was going over and groaned before closing it again. The file was on a woman who had gone missing about six months before, and there were still no leads. For the last couple of years Austin had been looking into a series of missing women who had all gone missing from local dive bars, no one seemed to miss them and he had been looking into the case on his own time.

He had once told Noah about the string of missing persons, but each woman seemed to remind him of Lexi's birth mom, Hayley. All of them were the same height, build, and hair color that Lexi's mom had, so Austin could understand why the case still seemed to haunt the older detective. So he had decided that he would only get Noah involved if he was able to find an actual connection to Hayley's murder.

Austin had known Lexi since college and they had been really good friends. They had even gone out on a couple of dates while he was at the Police Academy, but things had gone south on the relationship front too quickly. Lexi had told him that they were better off as friends and had introduced him to Annie not long after that. Lexi had been right about them being better friends than lovers and Austin knew that he had her to thank for him and Annie being a couple for the last few years and hopefully he would be making her his wife soon.

"Detective Morrison?" A voice said from behind him.

Austin looked up and saw a young guy leaning against the door with a Uniformed officer standing next to him.

"What's up, Jenkins?" Austin wondered.

"This here is Dale McCarthy, says that he just transferred here and that he is supposed to see you and Captain Kennedy this morning," the Uniform explained.

"That's actually tomorrow. The captain is having brunch with his family this morning. I can give you the nickel tour and you can speak with Capt. tomorrow. Sound good?" Austin asked.

He stood up and went to shake Dale's hand. He noticed that he was tall, around 6 feet maybe, and was in good shape. Dale looked around and Austin could tell that he was taking in his surroundings.

"Sure, sorry about the day, I must've looked at the date in my phone wrong. I don't want to interrupt your day, we can always do the tour tomorrow," Dale said.

"No worries man, I was just finishing up some paperwork, then I am going head home and see the girlfriend," Austin answered.

Austin spent a few moments giving the new guy a quick tour of the precinct, but he could not shake the feeling that something was off about him. He seemed nice enough, but was overly confident and almost too friendly.

' _You're getting suspicious of everyone now Austin, he is probably just excited about starting a new job,'_ he thought as he placed the missing persons case back on his desk for another day.

* * *

"I can't believe that you guys didn't give me a heads up about the date auction before I went to brunch," Lexi complained the following day when she met her friends for an early dinner after she finished her shift at the hospital.

"Sorry Lex, Lisa said that she was going to talk to you about it and we told her that we would do it since it was for charity, but that it would be fun if you did it too," Charlie said taking a bite of her burger.

"I know, she talked to me about it alright, saying that I would fetch the best price at the auction. I agreed to do it, but she has to mind her own business when it comes to managing my love life. If she can't do that, then I am going to walk on doing the auction," Lexi explained taking a bite of her own burger.

"Yeah right, we all know you will do the auction because it's for charity and it's a one time thing. And we all know that Lisa is a world class meddler, so she won't be able to resist sticking her nose into your love life," Charlie said with laugh.

"You're probably right, but it will be fun to see if she can keep her promise or not," Lexi smiled.

After the four of them finished their dinner, Annie and Charlie left. Charlie for band practice and Annie for a movie date with Austin. Amanda and Lexi hailed a cab and went to go pick up Lexi's dry cleaning.

The two of them walked into Wilson's Dry Cleaning while Amanda was telling Lexi about all of the repairs that needed to be made to the new nightclub, and that she thought maybe Lexi's brother-in-law could do the repairs.

"I can talk to Matt and see if he is overloaded with work and see if he is interested in doing the repairs, I know he was looking to branch out and do more work, but that could have changed by now," Lexi said.

Her brother-in-law, Matt, ran his own construction company, and was looking to take on more projects besides houses.

"Okay, well talk to him and let me know what he says, Nick is hoping that we can get someone to finish the repairs before the next inspection," Amanda said while Lexi waited for her dress.

"When is the next inspection?" Lexi wondered.

"It was supposed to be in three weeks, but I managed to get it pushed back. Now it has to be up to code in six weeks," Amanda answered as she looked down at her phone.

Lexi texted her brother-in-law and smiled when she got a reply.

"Matt said that he has time to take on another job, He can come out and see what the issues are and see when he can get a crew out there to do the repairs," Lexi said.

"You are the best, tell him I said thanks," Amanda replied.

Just then Mr. Wilson came out with Lexi's dress.

"How much is it?" Lexi asked the older man.

"It's been taken care of sweetie," He answered before handing her the dress and a note.

"What's this?" she wondered as she opened the note.

The note said 'A promise is a promise. Call me.' There was a neatly written phone number next to it.

Lexi looked questioningly at Amanda before dialing the number.

"Hello" a voice answered.

Lexi smiled and realized that Nick was the one who had taken care of her dry cleaning.

"Hi Nick, this is Lexi, Amanda's friend," she said.

"Hi Lexi, I see you got my note," he replied chuckling.

"I did, you know paying for the dry cleaning was not necessary," she returned.

"Well how else was I going to get your number?" he asked.

"You could have gotten it from Amanda." she answered as she glanced at her friend.

Amanda grinned realizing just who her friend was talking to.

"Where is the fun in that? Besides, I wanted to see if you wanted to have dinner with me, maybe Friday?" he asked.

"Um, well… I don't know," Lexi said.

"I promise I will be a perfect gentleman," he said.

"Oh I'm sure that you will. Dinner on Friday sounds good," she giggled realizing that she was actually flirting with him.

"Good, now I have another question. If I wanted to send a beautiful woman flowers before our date, how would I know which are her favorite?" he asked.

"Well that is a good question, Mr. Sorrentino, Now if it is a first date, I would say send her something you think she would like," she replied.

"I'm hoping that it will be the first of many, see you Friday Lexi," he chuckled.

"See you Friday, Nick. Her favorite are pink roses by the way." she said ending the call.

"Yay! You have a date with Nick on Friday. I think it was a good thing that I did, matching you two up," Amanda cheered hugging her friend.

"Yes, I do, think you can help me pick out something to wear before you start gloating?" Lexi asked teasingly.

"Well it will be tough, but I think I can do that," Amanda giggled looping her arm through Lexi's before the two of them walked out into the night with smiles on their faces.


	4. Chapter 4

_Here is the next chapter, hope everyone enjoys it! Thanks to my Awesome Beta DannyLionthe1st for all of her help! Happy reading!_

 **Chapter 4**

The following week passed quickly and before either Nick or Lexi knew it, Friday was looming. Nick had been trying to do the research that Jeremy had asked him to do a few weeks ago, and had been making progress. But that was before he found himself distracted by a certain Brunette Beauty, Truth be told, she had been on his mind since the night that they met. He was doing research on the Friday afternoon of their date when his phone rang. He looked down and groaned when he realized that it was the Alpha, himself, most likely calling for an update.

"Hey Jeremy, how are things going in Bear Valley?" he asked as a greeting.

"Hi Nick, things are fine here, quiet." Jeremy replied.

"That's good. How are Kate and the boys?" Nick asked, trying to put off the inevitable.

"Everyone is fine here Nick. How are things going with looking into those Mutt attacks?" Jeremy asked, knowing that Nick was trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, I'm still looking into it. It seems like these attacks only happen once a month, and that the Mutt likes to pick people who aren't likely to be missed." Nick explained.

"Is that all you've been able to find out? I mean you have been looking into this for a few weeks." Jeremy wondered.

Nick shrugged his shoulders even though he knew that Jeremy couldn't see him. He had known Jeremy since he was a child and even though he knew that the Alpha would be disappointed that he did not have more information for him, he still felt bad about it. Jeremy Danvers had been his father, Antonio's, oldest and best friend and he was one of very few people who could make Nick feel bad or disappointed about anything.

"I've been looking into things Jeremy, I've been talking to a few of the people in the homeless communities in the areas where the people have been going missing, and they will keep an ear to the ground. I told them to let me know if anything happens. Sorry it's not much, but I have been dealing with things for the new club, so my time has been limited." Nick explained.

"Ah, so business is all that has you distracted. Or is it something else?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah, just business." Nick said absentmindedly.

"Do I need to come down there or at least send Clay or Elena to help you?" Jeremy asked.

"Jeremy, there's no need for that at the moment. I can handle it. Besides, Clay is busy with a paper and Elena is working on her next showing." Nick answered.

"I just don't want these Mutt attacks to get out of hand. We need to find out who is behind this and put an end to it. I don't want anyone else finding out about this, you know what will happen if they do." Jeremy said.

"I know Jeremy, I'm working on it." Nick reassured rolling his eyes even though the Alpha couldn't see him.

Being a werewolf meant that he needed to be able to keep most of his life a secret, especially from any woman that he dated on the long term. While most of his kind were known to take human lovers from time to time, Nick always prefered to date a woman a couple of times and then move on. He always looked at Jeremy, Clay and even Logan with envy because they had found their mate, but he had decided that long term relationships were just not for him. It was safer that way. The women never expected much and he got to keep his secret in tact. This time was different though, Nick wanted more than one date with Lexi and he did not want to deal with the lecture from Jeremy about staying focused on pack business. He figured that if things progressed with Lexi the way that he hoped, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

"Listen Jeremy, can we talk about this later, I need to leave shortly." Nick said suddenly glancing at the clock on the wall and noticing the time. He needed to get ready for his date with Lexi.

"Sure Nick, call me when you have something. If needed I can have someone come and help you out" Jeremy said before ending the call.

Nick sighed and looked down at his phone before heading into the bathroom for a shower.

* * *

Meanwhile in Bear Valley, Jeremy Danvers was sitting at the desk in his office, deep in thought. It wasn't like Nick to not take his responsibility within the pack seriously. Something had the young man distracted and the Alpha could not figure out what it was.

"Did you talk to Nick?" a voice said from the doorway.

Jeremy looked up and smiled at his wife, Kate.

Dr. Kate Shaw had been in town for a short time before she and Jeremy had met, fell in love, and then had twin boys.

"Yeah, I talked to him, he hasn't found anything useful. All he was able to find out is that the attacks happen once a month and that the mutt likes to target people who won't be missed. I'm worried that things will get out of hand, and Nick seemed distracted. I just have no idea why. He hung up pretty abruptly" he said.

"I wouldn't worry about it now. Nick is pretty reliable, so he might just be busy. Elena said that his new club was giving him some issues. Maybe he just needs a little more time. Besides, he might have met a nice girl and that is why he is spending a lot of time at work." Kate reasoned.

"I don't know about that. Nick is not the kind to be distracted by a woman. Besides, he prefers to date different women all the time, he won't be settling down anytime soon." Jeremy said as he looked at the picture of Pack that he kept on his desk.

"You don't know that Jeremy, he might find someone that he wants to settle down with, the way that Clay and Elena, Logan and Rachel, and we did. He just needs to find the right woman." Kate replied as she wrapped her arms around her husband's neck.

"Maybe, but if he doesn't find something soon, I will have to either send Clay or go down there myself." Jeremy said to his wife.

Just then Jeremy's phone rang. He looked down and saw Clay's name.

"It's Clay, I better take it." he said.

"I'm going to start dinner, why don't you check on the boys after you get off the phone, I'm sure they will be up from their nap by then." Kate suggested before kissing her husband's cheek and walking out of the study.

"Hello Clayton, how are things in Toronto?" Jeremy asked as he answered his adoptive son's call.

"Hey Jeremy, everything's fine here. I just saw on the news that they found another body in a park in Staten Island, looked like it had been there for a couple of years. The news is saying that it was a possible animal attack." Clay said.

"I haven't seen anything here in the papers, and Nick didn't mention it." Jeremy said.

"I tried to reach him, but he didn't answer his phone." Clay said.

"Can you make a trip to New York, give him a hand before things get too bad?" Jeremy wondered.

"I can see if I can book a red eye. Will call as soon as I know something." Clay said before ending the call.

* * *

"I have nothing to wear." Lexi said as she thumbed through her closet for a dress to wear for her date with Nick.

"Lexi, you have some great dresses here, just pick one." Jessie said as she looked at her little sister.

"Okay, well should I go with the blue or the red?" Lexi asked as she glanced at Amanda and her sister.

"The blue." Jessie said at the same time as Amanda said the red.

"Okay, neither of you are any help. I'm overruling both of you and going with the black." Lexi said as she grabbed a black dress with long, lace sleeves and laid it on the bed.

"Is that new? I haven't seen it before." Amanda wondered.

"Yeah, I bought it a couple months ago, just haven't had a chance to wear it yet." Lexi answered as she pulled out a pair of black heels.

"What are you and Nick doing on your date?" Jessie asked.

"Just dinner, we're taking it slow." Lexi replied as she noticed her sister and friend's expressions.

"He sent you flowers Lex, I say that's a good start." Jessie said as she glanced at her phone.

"Yes, not just any flowers, her favorite, pink roses." Amanda smirked.

"He did. I am going to see how dinner goes before I do anything else." Lexi said.

"That's good. Well we should go and let you get ready before Nick gets here. Call me later and let me know how it goes." Amanda said as she grabbed her purse.

After Amanda and Jessie left, Lexi got to work on her hair and makeup. She decided to wear her hair down and to make her green eyes pop with some light green eyeshadow. Then she got into her dress and heels before adding some mascara and lipstick before going into the kitchen to wait for Nick.

She only had to wait a few moments before there was a knock on the door. She gave herself one last look in the mirror before opening the door with a smile. Nick was standing there in a pair of black slacks, a grey button-down and a black jacket. He was holding a single red rose, and he looked sinful.

"Hi Lexi, you look beautiful." he said with a smile.

"Thanks, you look great too." she smiled back.

He handed her the rose and waited while she put it in water along with the roses that he had sent her that morning.

"Where are we going tonight?" she asked when she joined him.

"I hope you like Italian, I know a great place a few blocks from here." he said with a smile.

"I'm a sucker for a really good plate of pasta. Lead the way Mr. Sorrentino." she giggled.

Nick led her out of the building to his SUV and opened the door for her. He took a minute to silence his phone so that it wouldn't interrupt them during dinner. He wanted to get to know her better, and did not want to be distracted by work or the pack.

The drive to the restaurant was filled with comfortable conversation. Both talking about their week and what was going on with their jobs. Lexi found that she liked talking to Nick and it felt good to be out on a date with someone who was actually interested in her.

She smiled when he pulled up to one of her favorite Italian restaurants and turned off the engine. He walked around and opened her door for her, and they walked into the restaurant.

"Good evening Mr. Sorrentino, your table is ready." the hostess said as she walked them back to a private table.

"This place is beautiful, and the food is incredible." Lexi smiled as Martin, the owner walked out.

"Lexi, it's so good to see you." he said as he hugged her.

"Hi Martin, it's good to see you too." she replied.

"Nick, it's been awhile since I've seen you around here, my friend." the older man said as he turned to Nick.

"Hello Martin. How do the two of you know each other?" Nick asked as he shook the man's hand.

"My sister Jessie worked here while she was in culinary school. Martin was the one who convinced her to branch out and start her own catering company." Lexi explained.

"How is your sister?" Martin asked.

"She's doing great, both she and Ben are working on branching out the business, and Riley is about to go into the second grade. Lisa and Matt are doing well too. Both of their girls are doing Ballet and are so cute." Lexi answered with a grin.

"Ever the proud auntie aren't you?" Martin smiled.

"Of course, I love bragging about my nieces." Lexi smiled back.

"Well with any luck at all they will be as beautiful and kind as their aunt. I'll let the two of you enjoy your dinner. Tell your family I said hello and to drop by for dinner soon." Martin said giving her another hug.

"I will do that, thanks Martin." Lexi replied.

"So how many nieces do you have?" Nick asked after Martin left.

"Three, Ava is nine, Riley is seven and Bailey is five." Lexi replied.

"I take it that they all adore their aunt" he said.

"Yes, it's one of the perks of being the favorite aunt actually. I get to spoil them rotten. What about you? Any siblings?" she asked curiously.

"Um no, it was just my dad and I, and some extended family." Nick said looking away.

"Oh, what about your mom?" Lexi asked.

"My parents split up after I was born, I never really knew my mom, and my dad passed away last year." Nick explained.

"I'm sorry. It's hard losing a parent." Lexi said softly.

Nick gave her a questioning look.

"My parents adopted me when I was little." she replied.

"What happened to your birth parents?" Nick wondered.

"I um I never knew my dad, he left my mom shortly after I was born and my mom died when I was three. Someone broke into our house and killed her, they never found who did it." Lexi answered.

"I'm sorry, that must've been rough." Nick said.

"I was so little, I don't remember much about that night. Pops was the lead detective." she replied as she sipped her wine.

Shortly after that, the waitress came to take their orders, Nick ordered the steak and Lexi ordered the Alfredo. After she left the two of them moved on to lighter conversation, sharing stories about college and jobs. Dinner lingered into coffee and dessert, and before Lexi knew it, she and Nick were standing outside of her apartment door.

"I promise the next time we go out I'm going to convince you to try the Tres Leches cake." Nick was saying.

"Good luck with that, I love the salted caramel brownies." Lexi giggled.

"So you're not saying no to a second date." Nick grinned.

"Nope, I had a really good time tonight." she smiled as she ran her fingers down the front of his jacket.

"I'm glad, I did too." he agreed as he ran his hands down to her waist.

Nick smiled down at Lexi before planting a soft kiss on her lips. She sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he lifted her up off her feet. Her arms wound themselves around his neck.

Lexi was considering inviting him inside, but the moment was shattered when Nick growled and reached for his phone.

"What?" he asked as he answered it after seeing that he had several missed calls from Clay.

"Hey man, sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I'm on my way to your place. The cops found another body, looks like another animal attack, and Jeremy wanted me to come and help you look into it." Clay said.

"Okay, I'll be there soon." Nick said in a chipped tone as he ended the call.

"Is everything okay?" Lexi asked when he looked up.

"Yeah, um I have to go, a friend came into town unexpectedly, and he is on his way to my place. I'm sorry. I have to go." he said as he kissed her on the cheek and left without another word.


End file.
